Vigil's Keep
} |name = Vigil's Keep |icon = Denerim City Gates Icon.png |image = Vigils Keep.jpg |location = Amaranthine |type = Fortress |exits = World map |factions = Avvars (previously) Howe family (previously) Grey Wardens |appearances = Dragon Age: Origins - Awakening }} Vigil's Keep, informally known as the Vigil, is an ancient fortress in the Arling of Amaranthine, in north-east Ferelden. It was formerly the seat of the Howe family and is now the Grey Wardens' main base in Ferelden. Background The fortress was built by Alamarri Avvars to stop the Tevinter advance from the North. In their time it was known as the Fort of a Thousand Vigils. It was built over caves leading to the Deep Roads, believed to be carved as a gift from Korth, an Avvarian god of mountains. The Avvars residing in the fortress lived peacefully with the dwarves, which was unusual as the dwarves were allied with their enemy, the Tevinters. The alliance of Avvars and dwarves predates building the fortress. The dwarves helped the Avvars defeat and bind a dangerous shade called the Dark Theurge, who was previously one of their own, Ruadan. As the Avvar culture declined, the ownership of the keep changed, eventually becoming the property of the Fereldan noble Howe family from which they governed the entire Arling of Amaranthine. Vigil's Keep was the first fortress to fall during the Orlesian invasion in Ferelden and the last to be liberated during the Fereldan Rebellion. It is probably also the place where Prince Maric Theirin met Byron Howe in order to thank him for his support of the rebellion. Involvement In 9:31 Dragon, after Arl Rendon Howe disgraced his family during the Fifth Blight, the Howes were stripped of all their holdings, including Vigil's Keep. The keep itself was then run by Fereldan soldiers. The last soldier to be in charge of the keep was Lieutenant Gable. The stronghold became a temporary base for Orlesian Grey Wardens who were helping Ferelden in the aftermath of the Blight, killing darkspawn stragglers. In the month of Ferventis of the same year,According to Varel during Nathaniel Howe's recruitment. the keep was officially given to the Grey Wardens by the Fereldan monarchy along with the rest of the Arling. The Warden-Commander was appointed to re-establish the Grey Wardens presence in Ferelden, using Vigil's Keep as the order's main base. During the Mage-Templar War there is a new Warden-Commander in Vigil's Keep. They request supplies from Weisshaupt after an encounter with sylvans.Dragon Age: Last Flight, Chapter 9}} Upgrading the Keep The Keep can be upgraded in the following ways. Defenses These have the largest effect on the ending. * Completing Cost of Doing Business rebuilds the gatehouse. * Completing What is Built Endures upgrades the walls and gatehouse and replaces a nearby palisade with a stone wall. * Completing It Comes From Beneath protects the keep from attack by way of the Deep Roads. * Completing Elemental Requirements improves your soldiers' armor. Merchants Recruiting the merchants for Trade Must Flow makes new items available for purchase in the keep. * Lillith is recruited during the Abandoned Farm encounter. * Armass can be found near the end of the Silverite Mine. At the finale of The Assault on Amaranthine, if the Vigil's Keep was fully upgraded the codex entries of the companions left behind at Vigil's Keep will incorrectly state that they died, however this appears to be minor as the game correctly acknowledges that the Keep endured as evidenced by the epilogue slideshow.}} Quests Characters * Ambassador Cera * Lieutenant Gable * Captain Garevel * Dworkin Glavonak * Voldrik Glavonak * Herren * Sergeant Maverlies * Private * Seneschal Varel * Wade * Mistress Woolsey * Yuriah Later additions * Alec (if he was conscripted into the keep's army during A Day In Court) * Armaas (if he was asked to trade at the keep during Trade Must Flow) * Lillith (if she was rescued at the Abandoned Farm) * Groundskeeper Samuel (if Nathaniel Howe joined the Grey Wardens) Places Notable items x2 , source: locked , source: Special objects * Statue: Initiates dialog with Velanna and Anders * Kitten: Initiates dialog allowing it to be taken as a gift for Anders Notes * The east side of the Keep (where the kitten is found wandering) has two locked chests and a wooden crate. These periodically respawn containing new items. Gallery File:Vigils keep-02.jpg|Vigil's Keep's Gates File:Vigils keep-03.jpg|Inside Vigil's Keep File:Vigils keep-04.jpg|One of the keep's buildings DA Keep protected vigils keep detail.jpg|Art from Dragon Age Keep See also References Category:Dragon Age: Warden's Fall locations Category:Dragon Age: Origins - Awakening locations Category:Fortresses